Hibs boss Shaun Maloney says Hibs will play friendlies and explains Chris Mueller 'positive'

Hibs manager Shaun Maloney is keen to make the most of the winter break as he prepares his side for what he hopes will be a bright start to 2022.
New Hibs forward Chris Mueller.New Hibs forward Chris Mueller.
New Hibs forward Chris Mueller.

Newcomer Chris Mueller had expected to make his debut in Monday’s capital derby but after the league went into premature hibernation, in a bid to wait out the recently-imposed covid restrictions which limit crowd numbers, he and his colleagues will have to wait a few more weeks to get back to competitive action.

But Maloney is keen to line up bounce games to keep the squad ticking over, run his eye over those who have returned from loan spells and give Mueller and any other early signings the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the style of play.

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“It was a big positive to have Chris here training with us ahead of his transfer,” Maloney said of the US winger, who had signed a pre-contract deal. Although not eligible to play until Jan 1, he made the switch at the end of the MLS season, travelling to Edinburgh in December to give himself time to settle in and hit the ground running.

“It’s a positive out of a very difficult situation, he will have a few weeks’ training with us so he will have an understanding of how we want to play.

“We will arrange a couple of friendlies which will allow him to get up to speed and I’m looking forward to getting him on the pitch.

“When I started discussing things with the club, I looked at his profile and what he did at Orlando and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

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